Last week, Google launched an online learning hub titled, “Developing Android Apps: Android Fundamentals.” Its courses—intended for students with “at least three years of programming experience” in Java or another object-oriented programming language such as Python—focus on the best practices associated with building mobile apps, and demonstrate how to craft an Android product from scratch.

While anyone can access the course videos and exercises for free, it costs $150 per month for extra features such as personal guidance from a coach, project feedback, and the ability to participate in in-class projects. Instructors include Google Developer advocates Reto Meier, Dan Galpin and Katherine Kuan.

In a note on the Android Developers Blog, Meier suggested that the course is meant to complement existing material (such as samples, documentation and videos) already present on developer.android.com. “Mobile devices are the platform that will bring the next five billion people online,” he wrote. “With Android expanding rapidly into emerging markets, and growing beyond phones and tablets into wearables, auto, and TV, learning the fundamentals behind Android development represents an opportunity to affect and improve the lives of billions of people.”

At its annual I/O conference earlier this summer, Google showed off the in-development Android “L,” which incorporates the company’s newest design language (designated “Material Design”) along with the usual truckload of new-and-improved features.

Android’s openness helped it seize a commanding share of the mobile-device market, with manufacturers releasing dozens of devices loaded with the software. (Samsung, Amazon, and others also took advantage of Android’s open nature to modify the platform to their respective hearts’ content.) But Google now wants to make its mobile ecosystem more integrated and cohesive; for example, the company reportedly plans to maintain tighter control over Android Wear, Android TV, and Android Auto—and given its new advocacy of lessons for developers, it wants anyone building apps for the platform to do a good job.

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